Indio Date Festival

I took a trip to the date festival to visit my entertainer friends John and Ellyn.  They do a traveling bubble show for fairs around the country for the kids.  They are both great people and I love being around them and seeing their show was a treat.  It's not the easiest thing to travel around the country and be "on" several times a day doing the same show over and over while performing as if it's the first time.

I spent the day visiting with them and walking around the fair taking photographs of things I came across.  It's always interesting to see what the fair has to offer and I had the opportunity to hang out behind the scenes in the "entertainer community city".

As much as I love seeing the smiles on kids faces, I always feel a bit sorry for the animals that travel with the fair.  There were camels, zebras, tigers, lions, and a monkey on a leash ready to pocket your cash once you held it out.

At night is when everything comes alive.  I love the neon, the smiles and the carefree feeling in the air.  It reminded me of summer.  I am looking forward to the change in season.

Date Shakes In Indio

I spent the weekend with some friends in the desert and if you like dirt, cactus, golf and the like...it's the place to be!  Indio is known for dates and Shields is the place to go for the their world famous date shake.

We stopped there on the way out to sample some dates and partake in what many say is the best date shake in the world.  Most stopping by are tourists looking for a sugar rush and to sample some of the many varieties of dates.  One couple I talked to at the counter live in Colorado and they make it a point to stop by Shields just to continue their tradition of drinking a shake every time they come to California.

I sampled several dates and the shake.  Delicious!  I haven't had a date shake in the desert since I was a little kid and it was just as I remembered.  If you are in the Indio area, it's a stop not to miss!